No Escape from Yourself
by silvertv
Summary: the Kyuubi has dwelt inside of naruto for years, in relative peace, but what happens when an accident causes a power shift between itself and it's container? T for language, violence, and themes. Slight NaruHina.
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER ONE**

It was a horrible day. Konoha's normally sunny days and blue skies were eradicated by the rumbling black clouds that swept the area, threatening to engulf the village in its lightning and rain. Nevertheless, the life of a shinobi remains a cycle of training and missions, a cycle that would not easily be broken, despite the possible consequences.

Team 8 were currently in training grounds 5, giving their all to prepare for the upcoming Jounin selection exams. Unknown to them, the remnants of team 7 were also training there, minus Kakashi, who had to "help an old lady hang out her washing", an excuse which was clearly a lie, seeing as the clouds had already begun to form at that time. Even though Naruto was still technically a genin, and would not be able to straight away become a jounin, an exception was made that allowed him to compete in this event to achieve his chuunin status.

Training grounds 5 were seldom used by any below jounin rank, it was originally where the second stage of the chuunin exam was held, before the 'Forest of Death' was discovered. It was the closest of Konoha's land to the Mount Hollow, a rocky and treacherous mountain with a crater as its epicentre. Many believed that this was where the Kyuubi pushed itself out into the world to begin its terrible rampage.

As if that weren't enough, a clan of cunning and merciless warriors were also rumoured to live there in a maze of infinitely complex tunnels and caves. There were even rumours that they weren't even human, that years spent in solitude from the outside world had sent them insane, twisting both their forms and their minds.

It was not uncommon for wanders and thrill-seeking children to disappear from the surrounding area, leaving nothing but a few spots of blood and a crying family. Many of Konoha's shinobi had been sent on rescue missions, missions that ranked as S-level. Seldom would the whole team return, even less so with the kidnapped victim. It came as no surprise when the third announced that the area was forbidden, and that trespassing on the land would invoke swift and terrible punishment.

Kiba was considering these facts while he gazed at the distant danger and warning signs. He knew more about the topic than most, as part of the Inuzuka clan, they and their dogs had often been called on, their and their companions' sense of smell often making the difference between life and death on rescue and recon missions in the maze. He grimaced inwardly when he remembered the last such mission, his cousin had only just survived, and they were forced to put down one of his-

A rustle alerted Kiba of an approaching enemy. He immediately snapped of his thoughts, cursing himself for letting his mind wander in the middle of training. His and Akamaru's role was the keep a hold of his forehead protector, defending it against his team mates Shino and Hinata.

Kiba risked an angry glance up at the sky, the upcoming storm and its accompanying scents messing with his heightened smell receptors. He knew that this put him against a severe disadvantage against Hinata's Byakugan, which was not at all being affected by the weather. He cursed again to himself, he was a lot more blind than usual, and he didn't like it one bit.

_Rustle. _There was the sound again. From his high vantage point in the trees, he could see that this sound had come from the opposite side of the first one. He suspected this was Shino, he would barely ever hear Hinata approaching, and Shino normally sent in a bug clone first. Kiba's grip of his kunai tightened, as he prepared to spring the trap he had previously set. All he had to do was wait…

_WEEEHOOO! WEEEHOOO! _The sound of the town's siren broke Kiba's concentration. He recognised it as the town's siren, but wasn't too sure of its particular meaning. Before long, his earpiece crackled to life, _'Kiba. Kiba come in, this is Shino. The storm's coming in stronger than they thought, everyone's been ordered inside. We're at the main entrance, we'll meet you there. Hurry.' _'Great,' Kiba thought, keying in his throat mike, _'Got that, I'll be there in three minutes.'_ Kiba sighed, scratching Akamaru behind his ear. "We got out of that one didn't we?' He was about to jump down when Shino's voice interrupted, _'Kiba…your mike is still on.' _Kiba's face went red and he crashed to the ground in embarrassment, quickly turning off the throat mike, pulling the whole thing off, and angrily shoving it in his bag. 'Shit! Come on, let's go already.'

Kiba made to leave, but soon noticed that Akamaru wasn't following. He made his way back to the tree, and saw Akamaru still standing there, tensely sniffing the air. Kiba walked over and put his hand on his neck, he could feel his muscles quivering. Something was wrong, but neither knew what.

_Rustle. _Kiba's head snapped around to the sound, the sound he had heard before, when he had thought it was one of his team mates. He tried to determine who it was with smell, but the upcoming storm was still messing with it, and apparently, this was the same for Akamaru.

Just then he became painfully aware of his throat mike now in his bag, and of the fact that they were surrounded on all sides by possible hiding places and ambush points.

Kiba was trying to act cool, calm, like he hadn't noticed anything, but inside his mind was racing. He knew that as soon as he made a move, whoever was there would make theirs, and since he suspected that there were multiple enemies, his first move would have to be good. The rustlings were sounding more co-ordinated now, it was now or never. He stood up and stretched, and still acting natural, pretending to scratch his lower back, moving his hand closer to his supply pouch. His hand still scratching closer and closer to the pouch, his heart sped up when he realised that the rustlings had stopped. He noticed Akamaru's hind legs begin to tense, his throat mike crackling in his bag, before the surrounding bushes, dirt, and treetops all exploded with movement.

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Naruto and Sakura were also forced to stop their training when the sound of the village's alarm had cut across the training grounds.

Sakura's face lifted at the sound, she knew what it meant, and that it would not be used lightly. She glanced down at her spread-eagled companion laying face down in the mud with an apple-sized lump pulsing out of his hair. She didn't care if it was only during training, and that it was most probably an accident – he had still touched her on the ass, and a girl simply couldn't let that slide by without punishment!

'Uh…Sakura-chan…that ringing…that's not just me is it?' A mud-faced Naruto asked as he rolled over onto his back.

'No,' she replied, 'that's the town's siren, warning everyone to get inside, away from the storm.' She looked down at her confused companion, 'we should leave too, we don't want to be outside when this thing hits.'

'We don't have to leave _now_ though, do we?'

Sakura's eye twitched at this complaint. Despite the fact that over his two-and-a-half year absence he had grown a lot on the outside as well as a bit on the inside, Naruto was still able to flawlessly revert to a whining 10 year old in the blink of an eye.

'No! Wait, I didn't mean it like that! I swear!' The knotting fist that he saw forming used to scare him when they were younger; nowadays it made his knees weak. 'It's just I thought that if we-'

Naruto cut off suddenly, as well as Sakura, each seeing an emergency flare rip up from the forest into the sky, nearly halfway between the two and the main entrance. Sakura wasn't really surprised to learn that there were other people training in the grounds, but the fact that one of them had gotten into so much trouble that they had to use their emergency flare did.

The branch she was standing on shook slightly as Naruto joined her looking out in the direction. The wind blowing towards them brought sounds of a struggle, and the faint scent of blood.

The pair didn't even need to look at each other. The branch shook once more, and they were both gone.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

The growing storm above their heads was beginning to worry Hinata and Shino. Shino could feel the bugs inside of him going haywire, they did not like the storm, and neither did he.

'Hinata,' he started.

'Byakugan?' she finished.

She didn't wait for his answer, but immediately activated it. Hinata didn't mind rain, but a storm was a whole different story. She wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.

'_Byakugan!' _the veins around her eyes filled up, and she was suddenly looking at the forest though the eyes of the Hyuuga, and was not missing a single detail.

Not too surprisingly, there weren't any animals out in the open, but unfortunately, there was no Kiba or Akamaru either. She was about to report her findings to Shino, when an emergency flare stopped her.

'You didn't see them, did you?' he needlessly asked.

Hinata shook her head, 'w-what should we do?'

Shino looked up at the angry clouds, then back at Hinata. 'We've no choice; Kiba wouldn't use a flare if he didn't need to. Therefore, we must assume that he's either in trouble-or in danger.' He returned his gaze to the storm, 'we'll also have to hurry.'

Hinata's face set hard, an expression that she had been able to use more readily in the past few years. 'Hai,' was all she said, before the two leapt off towards the falling light of the flare.

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Naruto and Sakura arrived at the origin of the flare – a small clearing – to find a badly wounded Akamaru lying in a heap on the ground.

'Sakura…it's been a while, but that's Akamaru isn't it?' Naruto asked, eying the surrounding area.

'Yeah, this means Kiba…' Sakura trailed off, probing the surrounding area with her eyes and ears.

Naruto cursed, 'I know it's not your thing, but can you-'

'I'll try,' the med-nin finished. 'Keep an eye out; there might still be someone, or something out there.'

Sakura went over to Akamaru, checking first for any nasty jutsus or dangers which may have been left with him, before beginning a set of complex hand-seals.

Naruto continued on his lookout. Although his brain told him that no-one was out there, his gut was still screaming: 'Danger!' He wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible.

'Sakura,' he began, turning back towards her, 'how long-' _Shit! _She was on her feet, hands out in front of her, with somebody – or something – behind her and a short blade against her throat.

His vision panned out, noticing a pair of taught bows pointing at him from the shadows of the trees, before another blade slid in front of his throat. _Shit, _he thought again, he had only heard the blade, hadn't even heard the owner, nor sensed their chakra. _Whoever these people are, _he thought, _they're good, very good. _

Naruto returned to eyes to the figure holding Sakura. The body was almost completely hidden, only half of their head and the arm holding the blade could be clearly seen. As far as he could tell, they were human, but he could only grasp that from how they stood and how they moved. Aside from that, he could see that they were cloaked entirely in rags of black, he couldn't tell much more from that distance.

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Sakura was also examining their new enemy, but she also couldn't see anything save for half a cloaked-face and a sword-holding arm. She was just trying figure out if there were any others, when her head was violently yanked backwards. She found herself looking up into a pair of deep, cold eyes. She took in the rest of the face with a single glance, not that there was much to take in. The entire head was cloaked in black, showing only a pair of eyes, cold eyes that stared into her own, drinking in every detail. Her hair blew softly as she felt the man/woman sneer.

'You're not a Hyuuga, are you, little girl?' She heard a female voice hiss into her ear.

_Little girl, _Sakura repeated, unconsciously clenching her jaw. She glared daggers back at the woman, the woman staring back down at her, clearly unfazed. Sakura found that she wasn't able to hold her gaze, forcing out a 'no' between her locked teeth.

She sneered yet again, before looking up at her partner holding Naruto. She shook her head, which was responded to with a quick nod.

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Naruto felt the blade stating to wander lazily over his throat, before a large hand shoved his head to the right.

'You or her?' the voice bluntly asked.

Naruto's eyes narrowed, and gave no response.

'We only need one hostage…' he continued. Naruto, for once, was silent. 'If you don't choose, I will, and I think you should know,' moving Naruto's head to Sakura's direction, whispering 'that I really hate getting blood on clothes…'

Naruto swallowed as the blade continued to play across his neck. 'How about this,' he started, 'you drop your weapons, she drops hers, and you both live.'

The man was silent for a moment, before sighing. Naruto felt his grip on the blade tighten, but his eyes were focused elsewhere.

The man noticed this, and looked up just in time to see a freckled torpedo launching towards him. Still holding his now-valuable hostage, he jumped back, only to see at the last moment that a second missile streaking towards him from behind. Before he could react, it slammed into him, streaming over his body. He struggled to get free, losing his grip on his hostage as he did, slicing wildly into the mass. Parts flew into the air, and after a closer examination, he realised what was happening.

He looked down to the tree line, spotting a cloaked figure and a pair of sunglasses looking in his direction.

'Aburame,' he spat, as the last of the bugs slid up his torso and around his neck.

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'A friend of yours!?' the woman taunted as her grip on Sakura began to painfully tighten. 'Watch as he gets an arrow through his neck for his trouble!'

Sakura felt the woman make some sort of signal, only to see that nothing had happened. She felt the woman stiffen, then turn around. She couldn't help but smile slightly to herself, before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

The woman looked in stunned disbelief at her now-empty arms, then up at the bodies of two of the archers, now on the ground. Her eyes turned as hard and cold as ice when she saw Sakura, along with Naruto, emerge from the trees dragging the still forms of the two other black-cloaked shinobi.

Her eye began to twitch when she saw her hostage's duplicate smile sweetly at her.

'Kage Bunshin? You think you're good, don't you, you little bitch!' she murmured to herself.

She began to draw her second short blade out, only to have the one already in her hand go flying from her grip. Her head cocked to the right, to see another female standing there, throbbing veins surrounding a pair of fierce pale eyes.

The cloaked-woman stayed like that for a moment, before allowing a small smile to play across her covered face.

'Hyuuga?' she asked.

A rapid arm movement came in response, followed by the woman's second blade flying from her other hand. _The Hyuuga are said to have excellent chakra control, and to be able to release it from their body, _she mused, _but I've never heard of them being able to use it as projectiles…'_

'One against three,' Naruto stated, 'give up.'

"Give up?" the woman repeated, chuckling. She turned to face the blonde, 'and why would I do that?' she asked venomously.

'You think you can beat three of us with no weapons?' inquired Sakura.

The woman was quiet for a moment, before breaking out into laughter, laughter with no hint of humour, but filled with danger and malice.

'Do you really think that these…_things _were my weapons? She mocked, motioning to the swords on the ground. She began unravelling her cloak. 'You have _no _idea what you've gotten yourself into…' she hissed. She had just unravelled the last of her ties, when a strong gust ripped the cloak away from her body.

Hinata, Naruto and Sakura all stepped back; gasping in shock at what was now standing before them.

'_These..._these are my weapons.'


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

**CHAPTER 3**

The Fifth had looked out over the Hidden Village of Leaf many times during her three-year position of Hokage. She would look down at the people moving like rivers through the streets and the building rising like mountains from the ground. Her open window would bring the sounds of merchants shouting out their wares to the south, while her eastern window would bring the sounds of children screaming happily away at the academy. She would look out at the streets sometimes with boredom, or interest, slight jealousy, or quiet contemplation. But no matter what emotion featured, as she would let her eyes wander across the buildings and people, pride was always be present. Pride in the people, and occasionally, pride in herself.

Tsunade sighed as she looked over the village in the eyes of the present. The image that she saw contrasted sharply with what she would normally see. The streets were bare, the townspeople quiet, and the building locked and boarded up. The only movement that she could see was that of a fat cat with a ribbon on its ear, running back to its home. Tsunade smiled at this, clearly one of her newly formed genin teams had to cancel their mission before it could be completed.

'Tsunade-sama?' The Fifth turned to see her assistant Shizune standing in the doorway. 'We shouldn't be up here, we should leave for the refuge now.'

Tsunade's only reply was a sigh, as she turned away from the window to face her office in the half-dark. 'Hai,' she replied, heading over to the doorway, before being stopped by a quickly raised hand.

'Senpai, aren't you forgetting something?' Shizune inquired.

Tsunade groaned, she had hoped that her assistant wouldn't have noticed. She turned back to her desk, not really surprised that she had seen it. Even in the half-dark, the stacks of papers on her desk were glaringly visible.

'I thought I did all that a week ago…' she grumbled, her head and shoulders visibly drooping.

'Clearly, that was last week's paperwork,' was the response behind her.

'The way you order me around, people would think that _you _were the Hokage, not me,' Tsunade complained as she dragged her feet over to her desk. She had just started to gather the pile of papers into her arms when a sound caught her attention.

'Senpai? There's something at the window…I think it's a messenger bird!' came her assistant's voice over from the doorway. The Hokage looked up in interest, to see that the sound she had heard was a hawk with a package on its back flapping around outside her window. She went over to let it in; she didn't know how much longer the poor thing could survive outside in the gale-force winds.

The hawk didn't waste anytime sweeping into the room, landing on a pile of papers and promptly pooping on the jounin exam application forms.

_That's weird, _the Fifth thought, looking at the pack on its back. _Normally there is the emblem of the sender's location, but this seems to be anonymous… _She looked at the bird, to find herself staring back into a pair of angry, unnaturally red eyes – eyes that looked disturbingly more human than animal. She narrowed her eyes, she knew what this could mean, but she had to be sure.

She tore her gaze away, taking out the contents, two scrolls. One was specially sealed, activated only by the intended receiver's blood, the outside showing that it was addressed to the Hyuuga's. The second object was not, and the Hokage took this and unrolled it. An object fell out and dropped to the floor. Shizune came over to pick it up, but the Hokage paid her no notice. The message was clear, simple, and brutal: _We have a member of the Inuzuka clan. Any attacks, raids, or rescues involving the Inuzuka clan, and he will die screaming. You have been warned. _

A gasp brought the Hokage back to the world, and she looked down to see a stricken Shizune. She stood, revealing what she now had in the palm of her hand. Two bloodied human teeth, incisors – but elongated like that of a canine.

Eyes blazing, Tsunade met the hawk's disturbing red stare. She could swear that the beak was the only thing stopping it from giving a triumphant smile.

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Naruto, Hinata and Sakura could do nothing but stare at first. The sight before them was like nothing any of them had ever seen before. It wasn't normal, it didn't even seem _human. _

The Woman now stood naked before them. This took some time to realise, for her skin was a deep swirling mix of both blood red and black. Her hair was pitch black, long and unbound, at the mercy of the wind. She stood tall and fearless before them, but these features were not what stole their breath away. It was what was wrapped around her arms. Cords, of the same mysterious red and black skin that covered the rest of the Woman. They watched in fascinated horror as the cords slowly unwound to trail along the ground at her feet.

'…Naruto? This is…I've never seen anything like…have you ever…' Sakura trailed over as she saw Naruto tense up as she turned slightly to him.

This was all the Woman had been waiting for. She flicked her wrist, sending one of the chord/whips flying out towards the distracted Sakura. Sakura leapt out of the way, only to find the second whip flying towards her in mid-air.

A Naruto shadow-clone appeared next to her, grabbing her and trying to throw back to the ground, but the whip was to fast. The shadow clone just managed to get Sakura out of the way, before it exploded; it's interrupted throw sending Sakura crashing awkwardly to the ground.

Hinata had taken full advantage of the events to circle widely around the Woman to attack her from behind. She had waited at first, studying her enemy, trying to make sense of what she was seeing with her Byukugan. She knew that she either had to take her out quickly, or tell the others about what she had seen as soon as possible.

Naruto saw Hinata coming in behind the red and black Woman, and knew that he had to keep her distracted. He crossed his fingers in the familiar seal, bringing forth a dozen shadow clones. He immediately charged at her, six on the ground, six leaping up in the air to bear down on her from above.

The Woman responded by a series of flicks and twists of her wrists, sending the whips to come snapping through the advancing line of clones, leaving twelve clouds of smoke in their wake.

Naruto knew that none were going to get through, he had just been giving Hinata the time she needed. Her saw her stealthily close in on her target, before he noticed something streaking in from the sky, directly behind her. _Her blind spot, _his mind screamed out at him.

'HINATA! Behind you!' Hinata heard Naruto yell, but she wasn't picking up anything dangerous in her near 360-degree vision. She turned her head slightly, to suddenly notice an object screaming down towards her from above. She rolled to the side mid-run, feeling a rush of wind pass her by. She looked up to see a hawk circling around to come by for another pass, and two more appear from the trees around her. Her increased sight let her see that each was glaring at her with a pair of disturbingly red-and intelligent looking-eyes.

Her dodge had left her facing Shino with his imprisoned enemy. She frowned as she looked at the chakra swirling around inside the cocoon of bugs. It was a swirl of red, and she could see his hands together in a strange hand seal.

'Shino! He's doing something, be careful!' She yelled to him, before dodging yet another swooping hawk.

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The horrific weather outside paled in comparison to the atmosphere inside the Hokage's office. The two bloody teeth lay on the desk, along with the two scrolls. After reading the contents of the first, Tsunade could guess at the contents of the other addressed to the Hyuugas.

Both women were interrupted from their thoughts by the hawk suddenly falling over, dead, its eyes no longer red. Tsunade wasn't surprised, there was no doubt about what they were dealing with now. She gripped the edge of her desk, leaving cracks throughout the solid oak. 'Shizune, I need you to get me a pursuit team as quickly as possible, Kakashi and his Ninken included. Send word to Hyuuga and the Inuzuka clans, I want a representative from each in my office as quickly as possible.' She turned to face her stricken assistant, 'also, send someone for Kurenai, she should be here too.'

Shizune offered a quick bow, before running out the door. Tsunade slumped into her chair, reaching for her half-full sake bottle, downing it in one swig. She massaged her temples, not savouring what she was about to put everyone through. She walked over to the scroll case and activated a secret jutsu, causing the whole cabinet to swing open, revealing another hidden scroll cabinet. After rifling through it for a while, she grabbed a certain scroll, which she tucked under her arm as she re-sealed the hidden compartment. She walked back over to her desk, rolling it open. It was thin, written in inks of varying colours and ages, although the title clearly stood out: _The Cult of the Kyuubi._

**Author's Note: **Well, here is Chapter 3, still a bit slow, but the next chapters will be getting into the better stuff. If you took the time to read this, please review, cuz honestly folks, although i'm mainly writing this for fun, its still hard to write a story when barely anybody has given you any thoughts or encouragment on it (cheers to those who have!). So please review, even if you think it's crap, review so that i know i'm doing something wrong. And if you like it, say so, and then i'll smile and be happy, and write the chapters more quickly. I've already written most of the next couple of chapters, so they'll be up soon.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

CHAPTER 4 

Naruto and Sakura were doing their best against the Woman and her whips. She expertly wielded both her weapons, cracking the air and smashing the ground around them. She had caught them both on the back foot from the beginning, and her merciless attack had left them no room to do anything but defend and dodge.

Shino could see his three companions fighting, but he couldn't help them. It was taking all of his concentration to keep the Man trapped, he could feel that his bugs were disturbed by the Man's chakra, it was taking all of his willpower to keep them from scattering. Then Hinata had told him that his prisoner's chakra was active, but Shino had no idea what it meant he was doing. He shuddered slightly as a fresh wave of the same, dark chakra surged forth from beneath the bugs. He tightened his mental hold of his bugs, catching a sudden movement from the trees behind him.

Sakura drew a handful of kunai, sending them ripping out towards the Woman from the left. On the right, Naruto did the same. She charged forward, cutting her path so that the momentum needed by the whips to block the kunais would not reach her as well. She saw Naruto leap up into the air, sending individual shurikens at the Woman at different intervals of his arc.

The whips cracked through the air as they blocked each attack, but Sakura was closing in on her target. Naruto summoned a shadow clone mid-air; to leap of it's back to get behind the whips.

Hinata saw what they were doing, sending chakra darts at the two birds that were closing in on the exposed Naruto in the air. She hit one, sending it flailing to the ground, but the second slid out of the way, swinging back to it's original target: her. Her frustration was growing, there were five hawks, four now, that had been constantly attacking her, only to then retreat, not inflicting any real damage, but stopping her from doing anything either. _It's like they're not actually trying to hurt me, _she thought, _it's almost as if they're…_

From the trees behind him, Shino could hear branches snapping and bushes being crushed. He heard growls closing in behind him, before he leapt out of the way. Barely a second later, an enormous brown bear barrelled past him, snorting angrily at its miss. Shino just lay there on his back for a moment, struggling to regain to control of the bugs, the interruption had nearly forced him to let the Man go. He was still struggling with his bugs when the bear started to once again charge towards him.

Hinata suddenly noticed Shino on the ground, and the bear charging towards him. _As if they're distracting me, _she finished. Her Byakugan could make out three of the hawks coming towards her in another dive bombing attempt. She had moved from frustration at the pests, to anger and resentment. Her veins throbbing around her eyes, she slipped into her offensive stance. _Three strikes, three strikes, now! _The hawks let out a cry as they closed in on her, coming in at incredible speed. But incredible speed is not fast enough when dealing with the Byakugan. Hinata was already running towards Shino when the momentum of the hawks were still carrying their paralysed bodies through the air and into the ground.

Sakura was fast closing in on the Woman when she saw her start a series of hand seals, then laying her hands on herself. Sakura had no idea what she had just done, but she wasn't waiting to find out. She could see Naruto attacking from behind, keeping the whips busy. Five metres away, she started gathering chakra in her hand, she was going to hit this bitch as hard as she could, her slight grudge clearly present. One metre away, she brought her fist up and forward, putting all of her weight into the punch. Her satisfaction seemed to make everything move slowly, her fist coming closer and closer, towards the unnaturally calm Woman.

She felt the ground under her feet move before she saw anything. The Woman smiled triumphantly when she saw the brief look of confusion pass over Sakura's face. Then the ground between the two suddenly burst apart, and in an instant, Sakura's punch had stopped, a bare hand-width from its target. Sakura around in confusion, her body was trapped, wrapped in a cord of the same black-red material as the whips. Her eyes widened as she felt it pulsing…no, _throbbing _against her. _It's alive! _She thought. Now that she was closer to the Woman, she could see that she was not holding the 'whips', but they grew out from her shoulders. Looking down, she could see that two similar, thicker chords protruded from her thighs, buried in the ground. She grimaced as she felt the chord tighten around her, but she met the eyes of the Woman without a sound.

The pressure around her tightened again, and an involuntary grunt escaped her lips.

'You like that?' The Woman mocked.

Sakura strained against her restraints, but only made them squeeze her tighter. 'Who are you!' She demanded, forcing air in and out of her crushed lungs. 'And what are you!'

The Woman's focus left Sakura for a moment while she swatted away at the blonde ninja behind her. 'You can call me Spite'; she answered, then leant forward to Sakura's face, continuing, 'and what I am is-'

She was cut of immediately, her leaning forward had been the chance Sakura was waiting for. She had kept the chakra stored in her hand the entire time, but in a moment had transferred it to her fingers, letting loose a nose-shattering two-fingered flick.

Naruto had been trying to attack Spite from behind, but it was proving more difficult than the frontal attack. He could see that Sakura was in some kind of trouble, but his increased efforts weren't getting them any closer. The movements of the whips had changed; it no longer seemed like they were being consciously controlled by the woman, but moving on their own. Naruto had just pulled himself up from yet another deflection, to see the woman head snap back, blood spraying out from her face. At the same moment, the whips stopped their deadly wavering to spasm, providing the opportunity for Naruto to close in on the woman. He saw Sakura still struggling to get free from the chord around her, throwing blows all over it, causing it to shudder and shake away from her.

Naruto charged forwards, slipping through the gap as the whips smashed into the ground behind him. He was just thinking he was in the clear, when suddenly a wave of pain tore through the back of his head. He stumbled, seeing a hawk swooping away from him, a chunk of bloody blonde hair in its talons. He ignored the searing pain, leaping forward, only to stop mid-air and be slammed into the ground. He rolled over and stabbed his kunai hard into the red and black flesh that was wrapped around his ankle. He grinned in satisfaction as it sunk in deep, but was surprised to see blood spill out onto the ground.

His grin was short-lived, for immediately the other whip raced forward, wrapping around his arm, wrenching it upwards. He stabbed up with his other hand and a different kunai, only to have the chord flow around it and trap that as well. He felt the chord around his ankle tilt him up, while the other around his wrists pull him down. Now upside down, he could see Sakura nearly free of her restraints, only to receive a series of kicks and punches, the last knocking her out of the mess of coils and rolling across the ground.

He was still swinging when he saw a fourth, larger and thicker chord bursting from the ground. He saw it reach high in the air, starting a swing that would crush his defenceless body. He struggled against his constraints, but the grip was too strong. Improvising, he slipped a finger through the holes of each kunai in each hand, and being sure that his other fingers were out of the way, began rapidly swirling chakra in his palms. His training had greatly improved his chakra control, and soon he had both kunais spinning blurs that were shredding the chord around his wrists.

He looked up to see the Woman's face contorted in pain, but he was still being held, as the tree-trunk sized chord reach the height of its swing. He concentrated more chakra, ignoring the slashes and cuts that he was getting himself. He felt his kunais bite into tendon, causing the chord to flinch away from him. Above him he saw the chord around his foot recoil from the half-dozen chakra darts that rained into it.

Naruto grabbed the chord around his writs and pulled it in front of him, the split second before the thicker one slammed into him. The impact was incredible, he felt his ribs crack even though the chord in front of him absorbed the bulk of the blow. Suspended in the air as he was, he was sent flying backwards, slamming into, and then bouncing off the ground to crash into the trunk of a tree.

The remnants of the tree were shouldered away as another two angry bears burst into the clearing. Naruto staggered forward behind Hinata, who immediately began threading her chakra, forming a barrier between them and the bears.

A splatter of blood appeared between his hands as he coughed and wheezed. Every breath hurt, a normal person wouldn't be getting up for a while. _But then again, I'm not a normal person am I? _Thought Naruto as he closed his eyes, opening them again in front of the gate that held the Kyuubi. As always, its face appeared, its fangs gnashing together at the sight of the blonde before him.

It's sneering face considered him for a while. **…Yet again, you come crawling back to me boy…** **Your weakness, it's frustrating, isn't it? **

Naruto stood straight despite his protesting ribs and lungs. 'Cut it out furball, you know what I need.'

**Yes I do. Break my seal, and you can have all the chakra you could ever want and need. The sheer power, you can't even begin to imagine it!**

Naruto just shook his head. 'No, just what I need now. No more than that.'

A deep growl echoed around the maze. **Very well boy, but someday you will want this power, this unimaginable power that's inside of you. All that stands between you and it is that seal…**

Naruto eyes opened yet again, nothing more than a blink. He could already feel the ribs straightening, the holes in his lungs mending, his ripped hands and head closing. The words of the Kyuubi echoed throughout is head, but as always, he ignored it. He pulled himself to his feet, feeling painless cracks spread across his chest. He could see Shino's grip on the Man rapidly deteriorating as he struggling to dodge the claws and teeth of the bear. 'I'm fine now, go help him,' he said to Hinata, turning to leave.

'W-Wait!' He turned back to Hinata, 'the Woman, those things are alive, and she can control them. Alter them, make them do things!' She did not face him, but could see him beginning to understand. 'I'll go,' she continued, 'and y-you take care of this.'

Naruto would have smiled in any other situation, the old Hinata would have just done whatever somebody else had asked her to do. 'Sure thing, let's go!' he agreed as he ran past her. Hinata turned too and ran towards the Woman. She felt a warmth spread throughout her body, making her feel stronger, faster, better. Naruto had listened to her, and better yet, had acknowledged her. _I will not let him down, _she thought, _I'll show him how much I've grown!_

* * *

The horrendous weather beating at the windows of the Hokage's office was the only thing that could effectively mirror the atmosphere within. The pursuit team had recently left, with Kakashi's Ninken leading the way, even as the storm wiped away what little scent left there was. Three parents stood in front of the village leader, the pointless argument against a decision all knew both fair and rational just then dying down. Each felt the same frustration at having to stand by while others took care of their very own. None had fully expected to have something like this happen in their own village, in their shock and anger, all they could do is stare out the window at sheets after sheets of rain.

* * *

A flash of lightning illuminated the scene in the forest. The skies opened up, spewing forth a chilling rain, which coupled with the mighty winds bordered on painful to those it hit.

The heavy rain was having a terrible effect on Shino's bugs, small as they were, they couldn't avoid the downpour. Shino called his bugs back into them before they all died, and drew his weapons. These were the worst conditions possible for him; he had to draw the fighting into cover.

The bugs melting off the Man had finally released him, as he thudded forward onto the ground with a growl of satisfaction. He looked up at the two figures in the rain, _good, _he thought, _the one that tried to hold me down, and the one that made a fool out of me with his clones. _He grinned in anticipation, his hands folding into a series of seals that ended on himself. He was going to enjoy this.

Naruto and Shino saw the man drop to the ground, but they had more immediate trouble. In addition to the three bears, two giant cats had appeared. By the time that two of the bears and one of the cats had fallen to a series jutsus and well-aimed projectiles, the Man was up and charging towards them in a loping run on all fours. Shino leapt off the back of the bear towards the cat as Naruto wove through the fight to meet the Man head on with a flying kick.

The backhand he received was incredibly brutal. He caught a glimpse of rough shaggy fur underneath his clothes before he was swatted away like an annoying bug. Two kunais thudded into his back before Naruto landed, but the Man paid no notice as he ran past and into the space that Shino had only just left. Naruto brought out a scroll, summoning a giant shuriken into his hand. Against that brute strength, he wasn't going for anything close range until he had slowed this guy down.

Shino was doing his best, but three on one close range wasn't one of his strengths, especially in the wet conditions. The co-ordination of the two animals was unsettling, he had guessed that they were being controlled by some style of jutsu, and seeing the red eyes staring at him through the hood of the man in front of him, he was pretty sure he knew the source. He saw Naruto behind the Man with a giant shuriken, leaping into the air, spinning around for a powerful throw.

The exact same moment as the first flash of lightning and roar of thunder crashed through the sky. A bolt of pure power leapt forth from the sky, seeking the closest target: Naruto. Shino and the two others didn't even have time to shout, as it exploded upon him, through him, his roar heard even over the pouring rain. They watched and shouted out as his broken body fell through the air, thudding into the ground, unmoving.

The remaining two animals ran off into the forest, their fear at the noise and light breaking through the jutsu. Shino didn't even see Naruto land, the Man had taken advantage of the distraction to leap forward and attack. Shino was being especially careful not to block he had seen what had happened when Naruto – _No! _He demanded to himself, _do not think of that now. The fight, the enemy the first. A shinobi does not show his enemy his emotions, only his actions. _A near miss brought his full attention back to himself.

'Your power is incredible but your speed is lacking' he said to himself. Amazingly, the Man cocked his head, hearing the whisper through the storm. 'Speed you say? If you wanted to see my speed, you should have said so, child!' A bolt of lighting destroyed the top of a nearby tree, sending a tangle of burnt wood crashing down towards the two. Shino leapt away, to see the Man begin a series of familiar seals, finishing by placing his hands onto himself. The rain continued down thick and strong, but Shino could swear that the Mans broad size was dwindling in his cloak. He saw this was so when the cloak didn't keep its fit on his now smaller frame, being dragged from his body by the icy gusts. Shino took up his defensive position as the Man came forward – fast but slow enough for him to deal with. He saw the fist bunch up to strike, and got his – _what!? _The movement was faster than he could follow, there wasn't even time to gasp as he felt his glasses smash apart as a flash of diamonds ripped past his face. He felt himself falling to the ground before pain exploded into his back, forcing him to his feet, where a sudden force slammed him off the ground by his jaw. He saw the Man next to him as he seemed to hang in the air, before the next blow sunk into his gut, driving him into the ground and slamming the air from his lungs. He just lay there, not yet knowing the extent of the damage that he had just received.

The man's face suddenly appeared above him, his face a pattern of red/black diamonds, scales it seemed. 'Your words are big, but your actions are lacking,' he stated. 'Does that sound familiar, you little punk? I bet you thought you were good, holding me back like that, then talking all cool-like, hey? Pathetic.' Shino felt his vision wobble as he looked up at the face, he couldn't even talk, he was suddenly aware of the massive pain in his jaw. He saw the man take something out from behind himself, before he was suddenly kneeling over him. Shino could only stare, what had happened? Then the man moved his wrist, and he felt an incredible pain ripple up from his chest. He saw red intrude on his vision as he started shaking. A grunt squeezed its way past his bloody and broken mouth as he felt a sharp exiting tug, and he could do nothing but watch as the Man calmly wiped the blade clean on Shino front, before sheathing it and leaving his diminishing world. Shino just lay there; looking up at the rain that stung his eyes and froze his body. As his world slowly shrank into himself, he felt a thought float to the top of his mind: _How? _

**Author's Notes:**

SHINO!!!!! (rips shirt open) how will the kid from the bug clan get himself out of this one? Or will he! Bahahaha…hmm. (meanwhile Naruto's laying on the ground, still smoking from the thunder, but we'll read more on that laters) Anyways, review now! It's right there, bottom left, do it! All the cool kids are reviewing, you should too! Come on, give into peer pressure, everyone else is! 'Til next time…damn I need a catch phrase, or some sort of slogan…have fun? Yeah, that'll do, have fun!

P.S Thanks to those of you who have reviewed and added me to alerts, mental hi-5!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

**CHAPTER 5**

A spasm in Shino's chakra system made Hinata's gut go heavy and her heart leap into her throat. She leapt back from her battle, her focus lost. Her concentration showed her that there was no mistake to it, Shino's body was steadily slipping away, and his heat outline was already blurring into the rain that surrounded it. Yet the concept that Shino had died, and so quickly, she just couldn't believe it, it didn't seem possible. She could see that Naruto was still out cold, despite the odd chakra pattern coursing through his system, he was just barely hanging onto life.

Sakura landed heavily next to the stunned Hinata, breathing heavy. She was alarmed when Hinata had so suddenly jumped back. 'What are you doing, what's wrong?' she panted out, 'is it Naruto? Has he gotten up yet?'

'No, Naruto's just holding on…it's Shino,' she paused, gulping hard, 'He's dying, he was stabbed. It was so fast, he couldn't even defend himself.' She felt Sakura's mental wince as she struggled to accept the facts. Hinata felt the dread now creep through her body. They were going to lose; they were going to die. A fresh sweat suddenly rose on her hairline as she realised the reality. 'We can't stay here,' she stated. She heard Sakura's noise of agreement. 'We get Naruto and Shino, and we retreat.' Hinata nodded in agreement, 'a chakra jolt might wake Naruto. We get him, we grab Shino, and we get out of here as fast as we can.'

Both leapt into action before they were crushed by the Woman's attack. They sped towards Naruto, but a coil of red and black wrapped itself around his unconscious form, flinging his body back towards the Woman in her tangle of coils. Without a word, they both leapt out of her range and started towards Shino. The Man waited for them in their path, also without a cloak and of the same red/black skin, but smaller in build, sinewy.

'I'll take care of him,' Hinata shouted to make her soft voice heard above the roar of the rain, 'you take care of Shino.' Sakura confirmed this by circling wide of the Man, while Hinata went at him head-on. Looking at the broken body of her friend lying in the cold rain, Hinata felt a new sensation awaken inside her. A sensation of hate and anger, of rage: she wanted to hurt this Man, and hurt this Woman, for everything that they had dared to do to her and her friends. As the distance between the two closed, she stopped running, sliding through the mud as she opened up into her family's familiar stance, eyes already seeking out the chakra holes.

She let fly the first two hits, but as her hands flashed out, she was shocked to see the Man's arms move just as fast, blocking the two hits. She continued the cycle, moving up to four and eight, only to have the Man match her blow for blow. She pushed herself harder, faster, forcing the man to lose ground, but only to have the occasional hit land. The last sixty-four were a blur as she executed the attack flawlessly, but as they broke apart, she could see that she had only succeeded in closing a dozen or so chakra holes. _Do not let your shock show! _She demanded to herself, raising her gaze through the rain to stare into the man's eyes. Her self-control nearly crumbled as she stopped herself from stepping back from his gaze and contorted, twitching face. _He's crazy!_She realised.

As soon as Sakura had arrived at Shino's side, she knew that they wouldn't be able to move him as he was now. She looked up to see Hinata let loose her first two hits, _I have time, _she thought. She brought her hands together over his main wound, beginning an analysis of his condition. She skipped over the minor things, no time for those, focusing instead on the stab wound. _Sharp tool, small blade most likely. Slipped between the third and fourth ribs. Heart has escaped major damage, lung punctured, internal bleeding present. Difficulty breathing due to excess blood in mouth and lungs. _She paused for a moment, puzzled, before a brief smile played across her mouth. _Blood loss minimized due to open ends of major veins and arteries being clogged shut with bugs. Pulse still weak, respiration dangerously close to shutting down. Unhealthy environmental exposure is damaging his condition. _

Sakura's hands were already pumping healing chakra into Shino's chest by the time she had finished her analysis. Keeping the specialized chakra for preventing bleeding going, she began to work on a Chakra Patch. A Chakra Patch was a technique that Tsunade and Sakura had together created about a year ago, but were still in the process of perfecting. It worked by forming a sort of bubble containing a specific blend of chakra, that would preserve the damaged area until the patient could receive proper, unhurried medical care. Depending on what area of the body it was placed in, and hence what function it would be assisting in, the Patch could last anytime up to an hour.

As Sakura began to mend the particular chakra together, she knew that in her current state, situation, and time limit, that she would be lucky if hers lasted more than ten minutes.

Hinata's world was a blur as she and the Man traded strikes as fast as the bolts of lightning above them. The scales that lined the Man's arms and hands had recently stood up, and every time that Hinata rubbed against them in a block or a hit she would feel blood well up from her broken skin. She knew that she and Sakura had to come up with a plan, but at the moment it was all that she could do to just to stop the next hit from striking her across the face.

Sakura's concentration was so complete that she was unable to tell what was happening around her. Constructing the Patches occurred in layers, each one building on the other until it was complete, if one layer wasn't done correctly; all of the progress would all fall to pieces. Her focus was so complete that she didn't notice the ground rumbling beneath her knees. Too late did she recognise that two objects had hurtled forth from the broken earth, arching towards her. A supreme effort of will was all that kept her hands pumping chakra as the Woman's merciless extensions wrapped themselves around her vulnerable form. Defenseless, she felt each coil deliver dozens of pinpricks into her body.

The Man had just drawn his short sword, and now their battle echoed with rings of steel sword against steel kunai. Every flash of lightning overheard had Hinata twitch in expectation of a bolt of awesome power sending someone else to lie smoldering next to Naruto. Her 360-degree vision saw two columns of the woman's corrupt red chakra tunneling underneath her and towards Sakura, but her cry of warning was lost amidst the weather. Too far away to do anything, she could only watch as they erupted from the earth, enveloping Sakura in a mass of red. The Woman's chakra instantly began pulsing in a rhythm, and to Hinata's amazement, starting sucking Sakura's chakra right out of her.

A barely dodged thrust brought Hinata back into full focus, stepping forward to counter, working hard to keep her weapons range. She had to help Sakura soon, but the Man's attack had stepped up, each slice was catching a piece of clothing or a stray lock of hair.

Inside she as torn, there was no way that she could move all three of her friends, and it was just as impossible for her to defeat both opponents on her own. She knew it was her only choice to run, unburdened, for additional support, but the thought of leaving her friends add comrades defencless on the ground made her sick.

Ducking a particularly vicious swipe, she leapt off to the side near the trees, escape right behind her. But as her muscles tensed to leap, she couldn't help the hesitation, the pause that kept her rooted to the spot. It was then that she felt it, a sharp pain in her ankle.

She looked down to see a snake, highly poisonous, staring at her with a pair of blazing red eyes as it pumped its venom into her bloodstream. As she fell to her knees, she dimly realized that the man's chakra was throbbing with activity, before she collapsed face-first in the mud.

* * *

Even with his dogs leading the way as they followed the scent, the wild chakra spikes in the distance told Kakashi that they were travelling in the right direction. The ANBU team in formation behind him could feel it too, as they all increased their speed. As their movements became blurs to the untrained eye, none of them noticed the squirrel that was watching them pass with a pair fierce red eyes.

* * *

"We have company, make it quick," the Man shouted over to his partner as she finished administering the antidote to the downed Hyuuga.

"Shut up, she's worth more with a pulse! What about the others? I don't care about the two guys, but I kept that pink bitch alive for a reason!" She shot back as she walked back to him with Hinata's unconscious form wrapped onto her back.

"Glasses isn't going anywhere without a body bag, I'll finish off Spikey. Rig up the explosives now." The man walked over to where Naruto was heaped upon the ground, pulling out his sword as he did. As he reached down to expose his neck, a shudder seemed to run over his entire body. Shaking it off and raising his sword, a feeling of such incredible malice and outrage slammed into him from where he was grabbing the kid, loosening his grip on him and sending him writhing in pain to the ground. The red of his skin started to throb violently, while the tattoo on his chest started to burn wildly. The feeling had passed after only a few moments, but nevertheless he remained where he was, staring up at the dark clouds, struggling for breath, eyes glazed over. It was only when the woman's confused, and possibly alarmed, face appeared above him that he seemed to snap back into the present. His voice was raspy as he stated, "we take this one with us, alive," before he slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

Moments later they were gone, the Woman running through the trees with a limp body wrapped in each extra appendage, trying to get as much distance between herself and her pursuers, who should just be entering –

A ground shaking explosion erupted at that very instant, sending the trees whipping momentarily against the pull of the wind. As the shockwave receded, she allowed herself a small smile, _'mission accomplished' _she thought. The smile would have soon left her lips if she had closely looked at her partner, or more specifically, at the sheath of his sword. For there, colored red from its masters blood, a small bug worked its way into the folds of the Man's clothes.

**AU: **So, another chapter, there you go, enjoy. I'm think that i should probably explain why Shino's still alive even though he got stabbed through the left chest. Apparently whenever you inhale, your heart shifts to the centre of your chest to make room for your expanding lungs, so in theory, if you were stabbed in the chest while you were inhaling, it would miss your heart! a bit of a long shot i know, but come on, in anime people live due to far more ridiculous reasons, or are seemingly invincible, so ease up! Anyways, hope you liked it, review and what not, and see you later, have fun.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

**CHAPTER 6**

Loose branches, leaves, dirt and general debris whipped past the ANBU team as they crouched behind the massive trees, sheltering themselves from the shattering explosion that they had nearly gotten caught in. Luckily one of the members, a trap specialist, had noticed the sisgns before it was too late. Some long-distance recon had determined that the only living thing in the clearing was Shino- barely, the "Akamaru" in the middle being a booby-trapped fake. The bodies of several unknown fighters with gaping holes in their throats were also discovered, the fresh blood mixing with the rain, most probably killed to prevent leaking information.

A quick extraction of Shino and an enemy's body had gone wrong when an especially well hidden explosive tag was triggered, the four ANBU only just escaping with their two bodies in tow. Kakashi cursed inwardly, he hadn't wanted to let any enemies know where they were. _Can't be helped now, _he thought as he created two shadow clones to take Shino and the unidentified man back to Konoha.

'We're losing the scent Kakashi, time to go,' Pakkun reminded him. Kakashi only nodded, signaling for the others to follow him, as they all burst forward around the clearing.

* * *

Naruto was sitting cross legged in the water of a sewer. He was guessing that he had been knocked out; whenever he was unconscious he would often find himself in his mindscape until he regained consciousness. How it happened, he didn't really know, all he remembered was summoning that shuriken…then there was a flash of light?

**Even for a human, you are dense. **

Naruto turned his head towards the voice that had interrupted his musings. The bars of the cage, which had been at the end of the hallway to his right, were now suddenly right near him. It had taken him a while to get used to how things worked in his mindscape, but after time he had realized that the prison was the heart of the place, and that any focused thought on it would bring the two of them together.

He turned his head, closing his eyes, ignoring the fox's comment. Trying to reason with the fox, or talk with him, was something that he always tried to avoid.

**I will not be ignored!**

Naruto opened his eyes, seeing that the cage was now directly in front of him.

'So why am I dense?' he asked, giving in.

**Lightning is one of the most powerful natural forces on the planet, fool. And in the middle of a raging thunderstorm, you decide to jump into the air, waving around a chunk of metal. I'm surprised that you're not still smoking from it…**

Naruto scowled at the cage and the mocking laughter within, which only increased the fox's amusement.

**Come now, even a filthy human child knows that! Didn't your Mummy teach you about–ohhhh…I'm sorry, I forgot...**

Naruto scowl turned into a venomous glare. He hated the fox. He hated it so much. It was the representation of everything bad that had happened to him and his home. It was the reason that he was shunned for years, why he had been hated, ignored, neglected. It was the reason he was alone, that he never used to have friends, family…parents.

Naruto dropped his glare; it wasn't working anyway, the fox just laughed at his killing intent. He hated this, the feeling that was now rearing its ugly head. Alone. So simple, so painful. Here he was, in a dark sewer, listening to a demon's laughter reverberate off the walls. He felt so small, like an insignificant speck…

_NO! _He berated himself. _What are you doing! Keep your damn head up. What are you going to do, cry? Like a baby, like the main character in a sad little story. You're a shinobi! You're going to become Hokage, and gain respect, recognition! So snap out of it!_

He sat there, feeling his strength grow again. The fox had stopped its laughter, and was now slowly chuckling as it watched the figure in front of it.

**Sniveling are we? Having a cry? Why don't you scurry along and lick your wounds, I'm bored with you now.**

Naruto brought his head back up, eyes clear and sharp, and a grin across his face.

'Sure, I'll just walk to the other end of this hallway,' he started, widening his grin to add 'want to tag along– ohhhh…I'm sorry, I forgot...'

The Kyuubi's growl sounded low and dangerous, but Naruto didn't care; his gut was starting to feel funny, he was regaining consciousness. He looked back up at the cage, carelessly meeting eye to eye to the greatest demon his people had ever known, only to be gone before either could blink.

The Kyuubi dug its claws into the ground in rage and frustration. It loathed those eyes, bright blue, infinitely worse when they glinted with such focus and determination. Those eyes had been the last thing it had seen in its freedom, the focus and determination in them reaching across the bloodstained expanse of destruction between the two. Those same eyes continued to haunt him even now, and that same spark in them!

Slowly, the demon relaxed its muscles. _Patience_, it thought. Patience would bring opportunities, opportunities to be exploited and used. And when freedom came into reach…the Kyuubi chuckled deeply. Oh yes…keep _him _prisoner…he would show them, and he would start with his jailer…

The Kyuubi laid its head down to rest, its mind imagining that day, when his freedom would arrive, and what he would do when he was. And when it thought of those eyes, white fangs flashed through the darkness in a smile as it thought of what it would do to them.

* * *

Naruto awoke to a jolting sensation and a sharp pain throughout his whole body, especially the joints. He felt like they might be running…but it was so hard to tell. It was all he could do to keep his eyes open, and he was failing at even doing that. The jolting stopped, just as he slipped into blackness once more.

* * *

Sakura was awake, but far too weak to do anything other than observe. She was missing just about all of her chakra; she was guessing that it had somehow been drained. She could see that the Woman was carrying Hinata, Naruto, and herself, as well as the Man. Sakura didn't know why he was unconscious too, had Hinata taken him out?

Her thoughts stopped as they halted, having arrived at an absolute monster of a tree. Opening her eyes a crack, she watched as the Woman – Spite, she had called herself – reach forward and rub some of her blood on a knot of wood. A path opened up before them, and they stepped through, the opening closing behind them. Sakura could see, there was a throbbing red strip along the low ceiling, and she noticed right away the uncomfortable humidity of the place.

Sakura closed her eyes again as they continued forward, still at a run, before Sakura sensed the space around them expand. Opening her eyes a crack, she saw that they were now in some sort of cavern, and that other people were approaching them.

'What's this?' a voice asked, 'only the two of you returned, and only one on your feet? Elite my ass, you couldn't even handle three chuunin?'

'Watch your tongue, or I swear that I'll rip it out!' Spite snarled. 'Besides, two more showed up-' the other man raised his hands in mock fear, '-and the blonde did something to Bestia. He was walking over to finish him off, but when he touched him he was thrown back. I haven't been able to wake him up. I want to know what this kid did to him.'

The man was silent for a moment as he registered this. 'Me too,' he decided. 'Take Bestia to the infirmary,' he told the other figure nearby, 'and Spite, bring the rest of them straight through to the interrogation chamber.'

* * *

Tsunade's eyes were scanning over the open scroll before her, she'd already read it three times, but she didn't want to miss a single piece of information. The meetings with team 8's families and sensei had been messy, that was not something that she wanted to go through again. As Tsunade re-read the scroll, a note poking out from underneath it caught her eye. Taking it out, she recognized it as a note from her apprentice, Sakura.

_Tsunade-sama_

_Naruto and I will be training today in training ground 5, if you should need us for whatever reason._

_Sakura._

Tsunade's blood froze as she read this. Training ground 5 had been where Team 8 was training also. If they had been captured as well…Naruto…

Tsunade was interrupted by her door flying open as Shizune burst in.

'Tsunade-sama, you're needed at the hospital immediately! One of Kakashi's Kage Bunshins had returned with Shino, he's in bad shape!' she reported. 'He has a chakra patch on him, its only going to be up for another couple of minutes, and then it's on us!'

_A chakra patch, _Tsunade couldn't help but gasp. That was a new technique that she had been developing, and she had so far only taught it to her two apprentices, one of which was standing in front of her right now.

'The patch, did you put it on?' she asked Shizune in a shaky voice, already knowing the answer.

'No…it must have been Sakura…' Shizune stopped as she realized what this meant.

'And Naruto, did "Kakashi" say anything about finding Naruto there?!' she continued as she stood up. Again, Shizune shook her head.

Tsunade felt like she had just caught a Rasengan to the gut. 'Shizune, you take care of Shino! And get an ANBU team prepped and ready at the entrance to training ground 5 in five minutes! And Yamato, Captain Yamoto needs to be there!' she shouted.

'But…Shino might not-'

'SHIZUNE! Right now! You have no idea how bad this is!' the Hokage roared.

As Shizune bolted from the room, Tsunade was up and heading to her closet. Pulling out and old scarred weapons pouch, she strapped it to her thigh, before grabbing her medical summoning scrolls too. It had been a while, but she was heading out on a mission.

* * *

Sakura and Hinata were dumped against the wall, while Naruto was unloaded into the centre of the room, in the middle of a large, intricate circle drawn into the ground. Sakura's head was wrenched back and she found herself once more looking into the crazed eyes of Spite.

'Hey there Pinky, how long have you been up for? Just so you know, the second that we're alone,' she paused to draw a line of blood down the side of Sakura's face,' we're going to have _so _much fun.' Picking her up and slamming her into the wall, she added 'well, at least _I _will.'

As the Woman held her against the wall, Sakura felt the surface around her seem to melt, and to her shock she was pushed into the wall, until only her head and neck were exposed. Next to her, she could see someone doing the same thing to Hinata's unconscious body. Once they were both in, a hand seals were formed, and the wall re-hardened, trapping them. It was then she noticed Kiba and Akamaru being held captive in the same fashion. Sakura cried out in pain, and Hinata let out a pained murmer as each had something jabbed into their necks, like a needle. Immediately, Sakura felt herself become weaker.

'Chakra drainers,' the man nearby explained to her. 'Keeps you awake, but leaves you as weak as a child. You can talk, but get too annoying, and the walls will slowly crush you to death. So be a good little girl, okay?'

* * *

The thunderstorm continued to rage on overhead, showing no sign of letting up. The rain fell so hard and fast that it actually hurt at times. Nevertheless, a group of shinobi in masks made their way through the empty streets to the entrance of training ground 5. Waiting for them in the rain was Tsunade, dressed in combat gear and wearing a tense expression.

All landed before here in a single motion, in a single kneel.

'Get up, no time!' she shouted, struggling to be heard over the rain. 'I'll explain what's happening on the way; let's move out; hard and fast!'

With that, the group left in a blur, heading towards the forest, the ancient forest that grew unfettered around the base of a giant, dormant volcano. A volcano that is said to be the hiding place of one of Konoha's great secrets: the Cult of the Kyuubi.

* * *

AN: There: another chapter. I really should be doing assignments instead of this, but when you get on a roll, it's hard to stop. SO, if you liked this: review, it makes me happy, and gives me more motivation to write! if not, let me know why, etc etc. anyways, have fun!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do nor own Naruto

Chapter 7

The first thing Naruto noticed when he came to was how weak he was feeling. The second was that something was in his neck. He tried to feel what it was, but his arms wouldn't move. It was then that he noticed his surroundings. He was in a cavern of some sort, suspended above the ground. Looking around, he could see that his feet and arms were securely restrained; he pulled against the shackles, but was too weak to make them even squeak.

'What, he can still move! How much chakra does this kid have?!' Naruto leant away as a man's face thrust itself millimeters from his face. He felt a sharp stab as something was jabbed into his neck, and immediately started feeling weaker. Even he could tell that whatever the things in his neck were, they were draining his chakra.

* * *

Hinata stayed as still as she could, feigning chakra exhaustion. As soon as she had woken up she had closed up her chakra holes surrounding the needle, cutting of the siphon. It was risky, not to mention painful, but she knew it was necessary. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Naruto stir in the centre of the room, and someone stick another needle into his neck, causing her to wince.

In the previous couple of minutes the room had become a hive of activity, dozens of strange people had entered, human in shape and behaviour, but visually more similar to the two enemies that had attacked them in the training grounds.

She was hoping that with this increase of activity, nobody would pay attention to her. Beneath the surface of the wall, her chakra was chipping away at the earth that was surrounding her, forcing it into the room behind her, which a quick activation of her bloodline limit had shown to be empty. She wished she could activate her Byukugan again, but with all these people, she couldn't risk anybody noticing.

_Everyone is counting on you. _She thought to herself. _Sakura's all out of chakra, Naruto-kun is about t-to be… _she squeezed her eyes slightly, she didn't know what was about to happen to him, but she knew that it would not be good. _No! You'll save him! Him and Sakura-san! Then we'll find Kiba-kun and Akamaru, and escape! So focus! _

Drawing a deep – but subtle – breath, she relaxed herself, and increased her efforts of freeing herself.

* * *

Kakashi and his team arrived at a gigantic tree, where the scent had suddenly ended.

'It stops here,' Pakkun reported. Trotting forward, he jumped up to a knot in the tree. 'There's blood here…strange blood. Same blood that the man we took back had, but…' He paused, looking confused, 'somehow…richer, stronger…'

Kakashi activated his sharingan, focusing on the knot. 'It's a blood-activated lock,' he concluded, 'high level and specific. Probably only a select few are able to use it.' A slight twitch of his eyebrow and a new set of memories flooded into mind. _There goes my clone, _he thought, _I was worried the rain might dispel it. _

'Owl, get to wok on this lock, we'll need it open as soon as possible!' An ANBU with an owl mask nodded, starting a complex set of handseals.

'The rest of you, listen hard. This mission is no longer a pursuit mission; it has just been upgraded to an above-S-rank rescue mission. The events of this mission are tied directly with the safety and security of this country, not just this village.' He paused for a moment to let this sink in. 'This is definitely not a drill, all available ANBU have been called here, and the Hokage herself will be personally taking part. Every shinobi is being placed on high alert as we speak.

'We have two objectives. One: secure Uzumaki Naruto at any cost, and by any means necessary. Two: if failing to complete priority one, eliminate Uzumaki Naruto, at any cost, and by any means necessary.

'Lethal force is authorized, kill anyone in our way. Rescue of other hostages is to only be considered after the first objective is completed. The Fifth and an advance team will be here soon,' he paused to let off a flare into the sky, 'and we will move in as soon as that door is open. Get ready.'

* * *

The activity around Naruto's hanging form had died to into small, concentrated movements. An entire ring of his captors now encircled him, with one man inside with him. On the outside, he could see the Woman from before, Spite, leaning against the wall, whispering something to a spot of pink. _Sakura… _his mind dimly registered.

Naruto's focus was brought back to the man as he walked in front of him. It was the same man who had jabbed the needle into his neck.

'I will ask you a question, and you will answer them to the best of your ability, do you understand?'

Naruto's eyes dropped to the ground. _An interrogation, _he thought, and noticing the dark spots on the ground, probably torture as well. The man stood in front of him for a second more, before clicking his fingers. Naruto saw the circle move as one, making a series of handseals, and placing them on the ground. He had time to notice a pattern on the floor light up, before a wave of pain ripped up through his body.

It lasted only a second, before he was left swinging slowly back and forth, his jaw tightly clenched to avoid crying out, his entire body shuddering.

'I will ask you a question, and you will answer them to the best of your ability. However, if you fail to do so, you shall be punished. That just then, that was a warm-up. It _will _get worse. Do you understand?'

_Flashback_

_Naruto and Jiraiya are walking down a road, the morning sun bright and at their backs._

'_Hey, ero-sennin! Can we stop for lunch soon! Old man Ichikarku has a cousin near here, I want to see if his ramen compares!'_

'_Naruto, have you been listening to a word that I've said!' Jiraiya scolded._

'_Sure I have,' Naruto shouted over his shoulder, marching ahead._

'_Really,' Jiraiya countered, landing nimbly in front of his student, stopping him in his tracks. 'I hate it when you do that!' Naruto shouted. 'And yes, I've listened to every word you've said,' he answered as he stared straight up into his teacher's eyes. _

'_You're a terrible liar Naruto,' he sighed. 'That's not good. A shinobi lives a life of deception, where a single slip can result in his life, or the life of his comrades, being lost. Tell me,' he turned around and started walking, letting Naruto jog up beside him, 'what did they teach you of interrogation and torture at the academy?'_

_Naruto's forehead furrowed in thought. 'They told us to avoid capture, at any cost. I can't remember much more…'_

'_Not surprising,' Jiraiya remarked, 'nothing like stories of torture to keep a bunch of kids wanting to be shinobi. Have you met Ibiki?'_

_Naruto nodded, remembering the scarred man who had tested them for the chuunin exam._

'_Well, he's an example of the minority. The truth is, under torture, and constant interrogation, you will eventually die. Whether from the torture itself, or from giving them all they need to know, and them killing you.' He stopped, kneeling in front of Naruto so that he was looking him in the eye. 'Your only chance is to stay alive as long as possible, and seize the first opportunity for escape, or possibly, rescue. Every piece of information you give them is one less reason for them to keep you alive.'_

_Naruto gulped, nodding his head in understanding._

'_You need to be strong. Don't focus on what you can't say, because it will be in your head and you might accidentally say it. Don't give them anything, answering the easy questions first off will make it harder to hold out against the later questions. Any information you give them can result in the death of a friend, understand?' _

_Naruto nodded again, eyes downcast. _

_Jiraiya stopped, sighing 'I have a scroll in here somewhere that will help –'_

'_Hey ero-sennin,' Naruto interrupted. Jiraiya stopped what he was doing to look at him. 'I'll make you a promise. If you ever get captured, if _any _of my precious people get caught, I'll rescue them in no time! That's a promise! I don't go back on my word!' he grinned._

_Jiraiya smiled, 'and if you ever get caught, I will too.'_

_End flashback_

Naruto stayed silent in response. The man sighed, and clicked his fingers yet again. The same process again, except this time, the pain was so much more intense, and lasted longer.

'I think that you understand,' the man supplied. 'Now, during your fight, while you were unconscious, one of our comrades attempted to finish you off. He is now in the infirmary with nothing physically wrong with him, yet he cannot be awoken. We want to know what you, while unconscious, did to him.

Naruto remained silent, not knowing what the man was talking about. _Something happened while I was out? Some guy is down, and I did it? _

'Answer now; I'm not a patient man. There will be no more warnings, from here on out, we'll be inflicting the maximum amount of pain possible on you.'

Naruto arms trembled slightly, but the only sound he made was a deep exhale in preparation. He screwed his eyes shut as he heard the man click, preparing–

* * *

Hinata felt like crying as she watched Naruto remain silent. She wanted so much for him to just tell them what they wanted to know. She could sense the amount of chakra that was being gathered round the circle, she knew that the pain would be unbearable. Looking across at Sakura, she envied her ignorance to what was happening, but found herself hoping that she would stay unconscious; she didn't need to witness this.

* * *

Pure agony. That's what he felt course through his veins. There was nothing to compare it to, nowhere to escape from it. It was a pain so complete that he could feel it in his bones, in his very soul. He lost himself within it; he forgot who he was, where he was, everything. All that existed was the pain, and the wild, uninhibited desire to make it stop. He supposed he was screaming, he guessed that his body was thrashing against its chains, but it seemed far away, like a dream.

He felt himself closing off into the darkness. He curled up deep inside, wrapping it around himself like a blanket, like a child who hides from the imaginary monsters of the night. It had been a long time since he had last been here.

_Flashback_

_A small child, 5 or 6 stumbled around the playground with a toy clasped tightly in his hand. He had found it this morning, in front of his door with a ribbon around it. He had been so happy; he had never had a toy before. It was a small, wooden doll, with legs and arms that could move, and a smiling face painted across the face._

_This would be his friend, he decided. It didn't matter that none of the other children would play at him, or that the eyes of the adults scared him, he had his doll. The doll would never leave him alone, would never make him cry. He would be such a good friend for his doll, and…_

_Naruto paused his happy running as he felt somebody step in front of him. He looked up to see three boys standing there. He immediately lost his smile, he didn't like the look on their faces, it was what he always saw when something bad was about to happen._

'_What do you think you're doing with that!' the middle boy said, who was considerably larger than the other two. 'That belongs to me, you stole it! Give it back!'_

_Naruto clenched his friend closer to his chest. 'No I didn't!' he shouted, 'it was given to me!'_

_The boy stepped forward, pushing Naruto in the face so he stumbled to the ground. 'Are you calling me a liar!' he shouted back._

_Naruto pulled himself back up, still clenching his doll, only to land back on the ground as the boy's foot connected solidly with his jaw. With a shout the other boys joined in, kicking and punching, as Naruto curled up around his doll. It was his, it was his friend, and he would protect it, no matter what._

'_What is this!?' an adult voice shouted nearby. Naruto felt the blows cease and the boys step back. He uncurled himself, each movement hurting, still clutching the doll._

'_He st-stole our toy!' one of the boys shouted. 'We asked for it back, and then he attacked us!' another joined in. _

_Naruto tried to say something, to say what was really happening, but his jaw wasn't moving, all that came out of is mouth was a moan and a bit of blood. _

'_I was s-so scared!' the lead boy cried out, holding his side as if in pain. 'He's dangerous!'_

_Naruto saw the adult looking at him, and watched as his eyes became hard, the look that always hurt. 'Is that so,' he snarled, stalking towards Naruto. Naruto tried to crawl away, but the man had him in three steps, and grabbed the doll from his tightly clenched fingers. He cried out, and grabbed the man, trying to make him understand, but only received a backhand that made his knees buckle._

'_Stop!' he shouted to him as he lay dazed on the ground. 'Get back! You freak! Here's your doll,' he said in a friendly voice, 'now run along boys, I'll go fetch the Uchiha's,' with that the man ran off._

_Naruto lay there on the ground, tears of defeat streaming down his face. The boys walked over to him, the big one holding his doll. 'Oh I'm sorry,' he started with a cruel grin on his face, 'you were right! This one isn't mine.' With that, he held the doll in front of Naruto's face, and promptly broke it into pieces._

_Naruto could only stare at the pieces of his doll on the ground. He dimly acknowledged the boys walking off laughing, and the police picking him up off the ground and taking him away, but he didn't care._

_His friend was dead... his first friend, who he had sworn to protect, who he had loved. The hurt was so deep, out of this world. He felt like he was going to die… he shut himself off. He retreated deep within himself, hiding himself from the pain. He was greeted by darkness, and he embraced it, let it cover him, envelop him; he let it soothe away his pain…_

* * *

_A small boy cuddled up in a hole in the wall of his crummy apartment as drunken voices crashed around outside, breaking everything, destroying all he had, trying to find him. The pain was too much, and he flung himself in the darkness…_

* * *

_Walking around during a festival, glares and sneers, whispers just out of his reach, people following him, taunting him. Wearing the darkness like a cloak, like armor, not caring anymore…_

_End Flashback_

The man was frustrated, as much as he tried not to admit it. What was with this guy! He screamed his throat out until blood had replaced saliva, blood trailed down his arms from where he strained and pulled against the shackles, but he had not let up a single piece of information, useful or not.

He should have broken by now; nobody could put up with this much pain! The pain should have killed him, at least!

He signaled to the circle, causing them to stop. Looking around, he could see confusion clearly written on each of their faces, they did not know what was going on either.

_Who is he? _The interrogator thought. He has withstood torture which would have broken or killed another man half an hour ago; he had almost killed Bestia by just _laying _there…

'Sir? Should we contact the-' one from the circle began.

'No! _He_ may lead us, but this is _my _affair! _Mine!_' he almost shrieked.

Across the room, Hinata tensed. _He's about to snap, _she thought, _that can't be good, he might kill Naruto-kun! _As much as she admired him, even Hinata was shocked with how Naruto was still resisting. She had no doubt that she would have snapped by now, she even thought her _father _would have been broken by now.

She resisted the urge to smile in triumph; she had just effectively freed herself. She could move her legs and arms inside the wall, and if she needed to, could break out in a second. Now, all she had to do was wait for her moment, and hope that the interrogator didn't snap.

Said interrogator was now pacing in a circle around his dangling captive, muttering to himself, scratching his arm, then his neck, then his arm again. Suddenly he stopped, straightened, and his entire demeanor seemed to change.

'This one shows unusual resistance,' he informed his circle. 'Therefore, I have no choice: we'll use _Somni-genjutsu.' _Walking up to Naruto, he formed a series of handseals and placed his palm over Naruto's forehead. The group, after a moment, also went through a series of handseals, and then placed their hands onto the ground. The combined chakra flared up, becoming visible as it enveloped the interrogators hand and Naruto's forehead. A small smile played across the interrogators mouth as he watched Naruto slip off into the induced slumber, and slowly closing his eyes, dove into his dreams.

* * *

Bestia's eyes flew open in the infirmary, the remnants of his nightmare still sending his heart racing. All he could remember was outrage…he had angered a…a beast, such power, such malice… he felt like he was going to be sick. He recognized that chakra, but he could only think of one explanation… and that was the worst possible explanation of all.

A knock at the door broke him out of his reverie. A medic entered, carrying a tray of food. 'Where are the prisoners?' he demanded. The medic looked at him in alarm, 'uhhh… in the interrogation chambers I believe,' she supplied warily; she did not like the look she was receiving.

'The blonde!' he continued, 'where is the blonde that they brought in!

'I-I believe they are interrogating him, nobody knew what had happened to you…' she stopped, frightened by the look on his face. The next thing she knew she was bouncing off the wall as pushed her aside in his haste to leave.

Doorways and lights flew by him as Bestia sprinted down the hallway to the interrogation chamber, praying that he was not too late.

* * *

**AN: **there you go, another chapter. i feel like i'm writing for 'lost', two flashbacks and more questions than answers... However, next few chapters will explain it all! i want to thank all of you who have read this, left me comments and added me to alert lists, its been so helpful, and i'm very grateful! you're awesome!

PS: Somni-genjutsu is something i made up, _somni _is a form of the Latin verb: 'to dream, sleep.' I'm not going to try coming up with a japanese name for it.

and, as always, have fun! see you soon, if you want me to update sooner then review! also check out my other story, its a oneshot, and i think maybe more popular than this one...


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

**Chapter 8**

The interrogator opened his eyes in a different world, in a dream, in Naruto's dream. He stood in a cube, pale blue, soft and transparent, dressed as he was back in reality, keeping things nice and simple for now. After all, untrained thought was incredibly dangerous when it affected your surroundings. Outside the box was the untamed void of Naruto's dreams, dancing images, events, places and people that seemed to swim amongst each other, locking together, then separating, constantly shifting. A single mass moved amongst them, a catalyst drifting along. The events would form around this thing, coming together and interacting with each other as best they could, creating scenarios, displaying memories, before disbanding as the catalyst moved on. The eyes of the interrogator trailed after this, watching the constant shift of dream matter revolving around this thing, his prisoner, like a black hole that sucked in everything around it. Safe in his sanctuary, it had always fascinated him to watch this process. However, he far more enjoyed manipulating it then he did simply watching it.

Lifting his arms, he spread them out in a large sweeping motion, brushing aside the collage of dream matter, leaving only the catalyst of his prisoner floating in front of him, a shimmering space in the void that seemed lost, floating around, with no anchor.

The interrogator laughed aloud in delight. He loved this, the complete control, the utter power he had, in this place, for a period if time, he was a god. He was in ecstasy, for a moment, he forgot that he was even trying to get information out of the kid, so caught up was he in the feeling. The cube wavered around him, and he instantly drew his focus into line. He had nearly lost control; doing so could have meant a reversal of roles between him and his captor!

All business, he reached out with his mind, creating a similar cube to the one that he was in around his captive, trapping it in place. Holding that in place, he reached out to the dream matter. Incredible losses in trial and error had proven that trying to create an entire dream from scratch, using outside memories and data, and controlling the actual dream was too dangerous, and intensely complicated and difficult. Instead, the genjutsu-user would simply select what he wanted to affect, in the simplest terms: the emotions. Then, using the experiences of the victim as material, the interrogator would steer the dreams in a certain direction, and let the dream take its course.

Keeping this process in mind, the interrogator reached out for the first emotion, with his body silently shaking in anticipation, and closed his eyes.

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes on the main street of Konoha. The sun was high, yet the streets remained devoid of life, the air still and silent. He turned slowly in a circle, the scuff of his shoe against the ground and the rustle of his shirt seeming impossibly loud and intrusive.

A frown started forming across his forehead as he tried to think, tried to remember how he got there, but to no avail. He couldn't even remember the last thing he had done.

Turning his body around in another slow circle, he reached out with all his senses, senses that he had been honing his entire life, and came up with nothing. Not a whisper of a sound or trace of a scent. He closed his eyes, focusing hard-

'Huh?' Naruto muttered. He tried again, closing his eyes slowly and firmly, but again! He could still see the streets, utterly devoid of life. He opened and closed his eyes rapidly, but his view was not hindered at all.

'What the hell…' he whispered, the noise carrying off between the shop fronts. He brought his hands together, and prepared to draw on his chakra to dispel any possible gengestu. But the pulling sensation never came, he just stood there with his hands clasped together. His hands…he looked down at them, squeezing them together, but nothing! He pinched himself-hard-on the cheek, but still nothing!

'A dream?' he thought aloud.

'Despair.' A voice echoed nearby.

The voice seemed to trigger something. All of a sudden, the wind picked up, bringing with it the scents and the sounds that were previously missing. The constant, unnoticed pain of old aches and wounds rushed back through his body. Naruto frowned. He had just been thinking about something, something very important, but…what? He could feel it, just at the edge of his consciousness, and…what had he been thinking about?

A noise behind him caused him to turn around. Standing at the main gate, the distance stretching the road between them, stood a figure in white and purple, holding a sword high in the air. Naruto's eyes widened, he recognised that figure, and the familiar rush of emotions that he felt when he saw his old teammate. Anger, resentment, pain, joy. Holding joy close to his heart he ran forward to greet him, the distance disappearing in instants.

'Sasuke,' Naruto began to call out, but was interrupted by flashes of green rushing past him towards the figure. Sasuke danced out of the way, sword flashing faster than his attackers, face devoid of emotion as the two Konoha shinobi slid across the ground in their own blood.

Naruto blanched, unable to believe what he'd just done. The bodies had only just stopped their slide across the ground when the trees framing the gate erupted into movement, and dozens of shinobi burst forth, sailing over the walls and slipping in through the wide open gate. Naruto couldn't move his eyes were glued to that of his friend's. They were yellow, with slits for pupils, flat and as cold and cruel as a snake. No, worse, these eyes seemed to enjoy causing pain and suffering.

Dimly Naruto was aware that there was a battle taking place all around him, that people were dying, but that gaze had sucked him in so completely. His entire world seemed to stop, the blood retreated deep within him; his heart seemed to stop beating in his chest and instead seemed to start pounding away in his skull. All his strength left him, and he felt something inside of him break, and the pieces fall away into the darkness. He had failed. His friend was gone, worse than dead, his body being used by a monster, a mere puppet, desecrated.

His eyes began to blur as tears worked their way to the surface, tears that he had denied himself for all these years. He would have been happy to die right then and there.

'Sa-Sauke…Sasuke!' he shouted. Suddenly he was running, barrelling into what was left of his friend, bringing them both to the ground like they were fighting in the playground. 'Sasuke, can you hear me!? Answer me, Sasuke!' he yelled at him, fists clenching handfuls of the white cloth.

The being below him stared at him impassively, unimpressed by this show of emotion. Then he spoke, horribly, in a voice that wasn't his, 'Sasuke's gone, he chose the path of power.' A tongue, long and sinewy, crept out of "Sasuke's" mouth, slowly running across his lips. 'He's mine now!'

'NOOOO!' Naruto screamed in denial, his fist bearing down on the smirking face below him – only to thud painfully onto the pavement below him. Shocked, Naruto could only stare at the spot where he had last seen his friend, his fist now grasping nothing but air.

'…Naruto…'

Naruto looked up from his confusion, seeing Gaara standing, framed by the entrance gate.

'…Naruto, why weren't you there? You've left me alone… you're just like everyone else…' he murmered, dropping to his knees, his dead eyes boring into Naruto's. 'You were my friend, my only friend…so why?'

'No, I am!' Naruto yelled out, crawling forward, grabbing his friend's shoulders, looking him straight in the eye. 'I would never, _will never, _abandon you! Do you understand! I never go back on my word! Gaara!'

Gaara said nothing, only stared back with dry eyes, but filled with such hurt and betrayal, and sadness that Naruto had difficulty looking at them. 'But you already have…' he whispered. 'I can't take this life anymore… I'm a demon, a monster, nobody will ever love m-'

'NO!' Naruto shouted over the top of him, 'you're not a demon, we're not demons, we're people! Human, we feel, we think, we love-'

'You're wrong,' Gaara continued on, 'I came to realise this, we can never change. I can't fight what's inside me anymore,' Gaara stopped for a moment, feeling blood begin to trickle down from the scar-tattoo on his forehead. 'There's no hope for us Naruto.' Gaara's eye flickered gold for a second. 'This is what we were destined to become,' Gaara's voice stopped as his face started bulging, turning into the soft colour of sand, distorting his features. 'This is what we've been all along.'

'Stop! You're wrong – we're whoever the hell we want to be! Fight it! It's not who you are!' Naruto shouted, shaking his friend, only to notice his hands. Dark red, covered in fur with black claws and the end of his fingers.

He stood up quickly and turned around, to see tails flowing along behind him, slicing angrily through the air. It was then he noticed the people behind him, watching him. His friends, his teammates, his teachers, all his precious people. All of them backing away from him with looks of fear and anger, of hurt and horror painted across their faces. He stumbled back a step, not believing what was happening, looking wildly around, looking for something, anyone that could help him, know that he was still Naruto. He felt someone step towards him, and spun around, hope in his chest that they could help him, wake him up, surely this had to be a bad dream!

It was Jiraiya, Tsunade and Kakashi, each with weapons drawn, looking at him with hard, merciless eyes filled with hate and killing intent. In the background, he could see Iruka holding the crying form of Sakura.

Naruto took another step back, falling to his knees, grabbing the tails, desperately trying to pull them off, focusing, trying to remember, to become who he was again. His short, panicked breaths stopped as he drew in a large amount of air, getting ready to scream out in despair –

* * *

The Kyuubi rustled in his slumber, his rest disturbed by the commotion being created in the mind of his host. He opened one eye slowly, not curious, why should _he _be curious about anything.

The host was panicked, completely out of control. And there was something else…another man inside the mindscape, probably the one causing his host to become so agitated. Annoyed at the interference, the Kyuubi once again settled down, when a familiar chakra caused its ears to prick up. It paused for a moment, ears twitching, trying to place it, when suddenly it knew. Its head snapped up, towards the new man, eyes piercing, senses completely focused on the figure. A low growl rumbled up from its throat, strangely pleased, as the Kyuubi started warping the space, bringing the man and the prison closer together, its eyes never leaving its target.

* * *

The interrogator was enjoying himself immensely, the blonde had almost completely broken, he loved seeing how long he could keep his victims on the edge without tipping them over. He'd just decided to start up again, when the cube he was in disappeared and he found himself standing in what he could guess was some sort of sewer. Alarm rose up through him, this had never happened before, what was this? And what was that noise? There…and again…and again…it almost sounded like something was breathing…

He turned around, to see a massive gate, spanning the entire height of wherever-the-hell-he-was. Curiosity took the edge of his alarm as he looked at this, the breathing was coming inside. He could feel something else inside too, something familiar, either way, he didn't like this, and tried dispelling the genjutsu, releasing himself to the world of the awake. However, it wouldn't work, which was ridiculous, he had done everything perfectly, of course!

**You will leave when I say you can, slave!**

The voice froze the interrogator to his very core; it was as though the voice had hold of his soul. A face slid out of the darkness before him, two great yellow eyes staring into his, sharp fangs shining in the dark and cruel claws poking through the bars.

**I recognise your body, slave! I gave you and yours a mission to fulfil. **

The interrogator dropped to his knees, terror shaking in his features as he wet himself in fear.

**Why do you not answer! You remember your mission! I demand to know how it goes!**

The interrogator could do nothing, a primitive, ancient part of his brain was screaming to run, to flee and hide. He didn't even register that the demon was talking to him. But he couldn't, his body was completely frozen, he knew without a doubt that he was going to die.

* * *

Bestia burst into the room, cursing loudly when he saw the scene before him. Even more, the fool had used _Somni-genjutsu, _this was the worst possible scenario! Even standing in the doorway, he could see the urine stains and the trembling hand that was still placed upon the prisoner's brow. The entire circle was still in formation, but all seemed confused and alarmed.

'Fools! Stop supplying chakra, get him out of there right now,' he screamed as he ran forward.

'We already have sir!' One of them cried out, 'we've stopped supplying the chakra, but he won't wake up, something else must be supplying the energy!'

Bestia swore loudly again, he couldn't stop shaking; it was all going so wrong! He ran forward through the circle, looking the interrogator in the eye, being careful not to touch him and interrupt his focus. The eyes were tightly closed, twitching rapidly, far too fast, with thick beads of sweat dripping over his eyebrows. He looked at the blonde, his face seemed, in context calm, but it wasn't his face that he was interested in. Dropping quickly to his knees, he began slowly lifting up Naruto's shirt with the tips of his fingers, as if he was touching something diseased, and looked at his stomach.

He saw the seal there, dark black against the skin, throbbing with the amount of chakra going through it. He dropped the shirt quickly in alarm when something red and bubbly began to issue forth. He quickly retreated a few steps, watching in horror as the demon fox's cloak began to envelope the body before him.

'SEAL HIM!' he screamed out at the circle around him. 'It's the Kyuubi, he's inside! Seal the body, maximum retention! Gather the sacrifices now!'

The room exploded into panicked activity, messengers rushed off, onlookers fled, and the circle began to desperately begin a new series of hand seals, every pair of eyes wide in fear, every jaw and limb shaking, sweat on every face.

* * *

**Why do you not answer me… **the Kyuubi growled to the human.

The interrogator finally realised what it was the demon was asking, and began to drag himself away, never taking his eyes off the caged monster. All of a sudden, he stopped as he felt something hot grab his ankle, and begin dragging him back towards the cage. He scrabbled helplessly, but there was nothing to grab but water, and his nails broke off on the stone beneath the water. Finally, he looked down at what was holding him, a red, angrily bubbling chakra, which appeared from out of the cage. Terrified, he watched as part of it broke off, and then rushed forward, enveloping his head.

He screamed out in agony, he felt as though his brain had been split open, and that somebody was tearing it apart. To his horror he realised that this was true, the red chakra pulsed as images of his life flashed by, memories, sensations, knowledge; everything was being looked at then thrown to the side. _Oh gods, _he realised, _he's looking for…_

The tearing stopped as the Kyuubi found what it was looking for. A memory, a sliver of knowledge hidden deep inside the scum's brain, behind the annoying genjutsus and chakra traps.

In the memory was a room, filled with the shiny, glowing objects and string that the humans were so fond of. In the centre of the room, what seemed like a giant container; and inside, a scraggly spot of red fur. A tiny fox, thin, weak, sick, trapped in a series of wires and cables that ran from the computers to the injections placed all over he body. Every now and then, the little bundle would shudder, as if in pain, its small tails twitching, trapped in its forced slumber.

In the background, scientists harvested the creature's chakra, marvelling at its potential, using it to augment their own abilities, making them stronger, despite the side effects.

* * *

Naruto "awoke" to find himself in his landscape once more, panting and sweating over…something, he couldn't remember. His attempts to remember were shattered though, when he heard the Kyuubi talking. _There's someone else in here? _He thought. Setting off towards the cage, he turned a corner to come across an unexpected sight. The man that was interrogating him was laying on the ground, thrashing about, his head covered in a coat of red chakra. Suddenly, the chakra left, and the man collapsed forward onto the ground, breathing hard and fast.

A moment passed of complete stillness and of silence so complete that it actually hurt the ears, before both Naruto and the man on the ground cried out as a swell of ferocious killing intent flooded forth from the cage, temporarily blotting out all other senses in its intensity. The Kyuubi opened its jaw and roared, not in words but in raw emotion, channelling fury, rage, denial, and wrath into a single sound that caused both humans to cover their ears and hunch over in an effort to escape. The roar still echoed off the walls and vibrated the water long after the demon closed its mouth, its demon eyes flashing crimson as it looked at the puny creature before him. The bars of the cage shook as the Kyuubi furiously threw itself against them, as the beast opened its mouth in rage once more, this time, words could be heard amongst the roars.

'**MY YOUNGLING! MY KIT! MY CHILD!'**

* * *

**AN: **Yeah, been a while since i updated, other stuff has come before this. Anyways, hope you liked this chapter, let me know what you think about it, especially the dream part. I swear hat i hadn't gotten into some hash brownies while i was writing it.

Anyways, thanks to everyone who's been reading my stories and supporting me through reviews, alerts, communities, etc. Hold your hands up, cuz i just sent you a cyber-5! Lol, have fun!


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